Friday, July 31, 2009

So much goodness out there right now, ladies and gents. And at the end of the day, who can be bothered to cull the crap from the cream (is that an expression?) from the ever growing number of blogs. As a result, here's a bit of a roundup. To provide a bit of an overview, we have Simian Mobile Disco's new cut from their upcoming album, and also an oft-forgotten Björk remix they did a while back, and it's really quite brilliant. Also Alex Metric's doing great things, and this Bloc Party remix is doing the blog rounds in a big way. Right click, open in new tab, and download the shit out of that link. Classixx. Enough said. There's also a bit of Beni, new Mylo and The Twelves for you, as well as a few other stocking stuffers. Give your iTunes a workout.Bad Blood (ft. Alexis Taylor) - Simian Mobile Disco

Disco is a style of music that can only grow on you. What I love about this genre is that the music is timeless. A good disco track or remix will stand the test of time whether it was made back when disco exploded in the 70's and 80's compared with the stuff made today. I've recently stumbled across a couple of killer disco remixes.

First up is a remix of a classic hip hop tune titled Rapper's Delight which was released in 1980 by the group Sugarhill Gang and was the first ever hip hop track to become a Top 40 hit. It samples the Chic song Good Times. This song has recently received a bit of revival with a collection of remixes. Amongst them was a few local ones and the Aussie boys Youth have given it a laid back disco style feel.

The next tune is something you may have heard. There was a Zombie Disco Squad remix floating ng around with a couple of others. One of the remixes which doesn't really seem to have popped its head out is the Crazy P remix. Crazy P style doesn't vary large amounts but when you got something good why change it. Consistency is rewarded when it's quality. This particular remix focuses on the killer vocal by VV Brown who I think had an amazing voice.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Just been ripping through my itunes lately, finding some old classics. So thought I would share them, me and a mate were talking about how good it is when an old tune gets revived. For those that totally missed the track when it came out, or simply running into it on someone's ipod. Whenever you hear a sick tune, you automatically think, is it new?

Today just wanted others to hear these some new and some old tunes.

Joe and Will Ask have taken a harder approach on the boys from the U.K, Milke's latest release Maybe I am crazy. I really like it, especially the first nu wave bit. Great Job Joe and Will, with only little under two years under your belts, they have pumped out a tune. Milke-Maybe Im Crazy (Joe And Will Ask Remix).mp3

There abit of mystery going down with this track on what its actually called. But its actually the flip side which everyone thought was the same track. Cajou Club is on the flip side and it's incredible. Also turbo recordings are getting Renaissance Man to do a remix. Gonna be a big one! This year has been a big one for Turbo Recordings, What else can they throw at us!Brodinski & Noob-Peanuts Club.mp3

Blast From the Past:Junior Jack (real name Vito Lucente, born August 31, 1971. This track was a single from 2004 in his Junior Jack days.Great track to go revive some memories possibly.Junior Jack-Stupidisco .mp3

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

New York streetwear label Mishka has had a side music project running for some time now. Basically the label invites producers/DJ's which they dig to do promo mixes called "Keep Watch" which are normally accompanied by a clothing release. They are up to their 10th release and have called upon “electro-reggae-dancehall virtuoso” Major Lazer.

To give you an idea, some of the past artists who have done 'Keep Watch' mixes include Congorock, Nadastromn and Teki Latex. The mix which Major Lazer did sounded familiar when I first downloaded it. I quickly realised that it's the same mix the boys did for BBC Radio1's Essential Mix. The 40 minutes is taken from the Switch hour. It's a solid mix with a bunch of unique bootlegs done for it. Next Monday I'm putting up the Switch hour from the Major Lazer Essential Mix so you'll hear all.

With 'Keep Watch Vol 10' there's a apparel release in the form of a tee-shirt. The graphic was designed by Skinny Digital. Take a look.

Here's one of the sly little bootleg's the boys did for the mix. It takes famous Hawaii Five-O theme song which has been covered by the Ventures. Then over the top are the catchy Hold The Line lyrics. This will get people moving.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Diplo and Switch are currently two of the world's best DJ's and aren’t new to the game either. Combined they are Major Lazer, a collaboration bringing together production skills and ‘DJ’ing ability to push a new music movement in the dance world. Clearly using some past influences along with some new ones the duo went to Jamaica to record their studio album “Guns don’t kill people, Lazers do”, which was released this month and is causing a stir.

The pair did a Mini Mix for Annie Mac a few weeks back and last weekend were invited by Pete Tong to do the infamous BBC Radio Essential Mix. The way they decided to go about it was to split the two hours and do an hour set each with one flowing onto the other. So over this week and next I’ll present the two parts separately.

This week’s half comes from Diplo and the style of music is consistent with the music Major Lazer has produced. A lot of the sound is influenced from the Jamaican reggae style with a little more punch for the dancefloor. A lot of acapellas are thrown over the reggae beats and there’s the inclusion of a few other tracks ranging from hip hop and baltimore to baile funk and pop. So here’s this week’s half from Diplo.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Its tucked away, not visible between all the smoke shops and amber red glowing doorways.First thing I can say is photography is not tolerated, so leave the camera at the hotel. Hence the dodgy shot above. Some think of Japan and think about all the techy design. However, with a club that regularly invites the likes of Joris Voorn, Sasha, Digweed, etc. since spring 2000 Womb has built a reputation for being visually and sonically one of the worlds true clubbing masterpieces. It boasts 3 levels overlooking a massive dancefloor, 30 foot ceiling in the main room, a 7ft diameter disco ball, and the best laser, light, and video show in Tokyo.This place is built for sound, built in a hexagonal shape Womb is not a place for posing. Its sound was imported from New York, the Phazon System and its peerless speaker stacks emits clarity and bass propulsion which is like listening to someone talk as a Boeing takes off next to you but being able to hear their words.

"Its a very special sound system there", believes dutch techno Fein and keen advocate joris Voorn. So the sound is one thing, but the light show is what does it for most. Being in Tokyo, with so much neon you would think that there could be a lazer show of some sort. Womb's light team are constantly creating a black canvas above you with flickering green and blue lasers puncturing the imagery of a canvas above you. The Hollywood movie Babel's club scene was shot here.

The final ingredient into the fruit salad is the incredibly up-for-it crazey crowds that djs regards the most enthusiastic and friendly crowds. All simply there to forget about life and enjoy some of the best tech minimal sounds current Djs have to offer.

Even the WOMB Website is so advanced, taking the iTunes carousal feel.

So thats it for this week, a little insight into Japans most underground globalized club. So when planned a skiing or shopping trip to Japan, just let your tour guide know and will arrange it!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Lovers of electronic music familiarise yourselves with the man Giorgio Moroder. I'm sure most of you have heard this name dropped by music geeks similar to myself or if you have an interest in influential musicians of the 20th century. The 'heavy G' was born in Italy 69 years ago and was highly influential to all things electronic and synthesised from the 70s on.

His notable works (besides his mustache) include soundtracks for big films in the 70s and 80s: Midnight Express, The Neverending Story and Electric Dreams. They probably don't match up to the attention his production on Donna Summer's 1977 track 'I Feel Love' got. With the help of Kraftwerk's notable influence, Moroder pushed for a revolution in music production. 'I Feel Love' had an enormous impact on the disco-era of synthesised music. Moroder in all his genius might produced what is known as the first 'commercial' track (disco or not) backed with no conventional acoustic instruments - an entirely synthesised and computerised track for the masses.

For some 'acoustic' instrumental viewing, check out the Chili Peppers jamming out to this. It is one of their favourites to play live and they pull it off very well without synths. Flea proving to be the best bassist in the world again.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Tiga, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, is one of if not the biggest thing in dance music this year. With the release of his studio album 'Ciao' and the long list of high profile electronic producers who have remixed this work he has been attracting an alarming amount of attention.

He's playing at this year's Parklife tour in Australia and my prediction is that he will be headlining the main stage for the closing set of the night. It's gonna be big.

The last couple of weeks there have been some more relaxed and subdued Mix Mondays put up so this week it's considerably harder in the style of music with a live set from Tiga earlier this month. Since 'Ciao' actually dropped a few months back it seems like the Canadian hasn't stopped touring playing DJ sets at some pretty huge parties all over Europe and North America. This particular set was played at Pyramid Marquee - Rock Werchter and is a good indication of what to expect when he hits our shores.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Through the brand Livestrong which is now well established worldwide with over 70 million yellow wristbands sold to date, "Stages" is an art show which aims to engage and involve the creative community in the fight against cancer. Essentially, Lance Armstrong and Nike have teamed up again to put on this show for a very worthwhile cause.

"It will project hope, strength and commitment to millions and carry the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign all over the world. I am humbled by the effort and energy given by so many to bring STAGES to life.“ said Lance Armstrong.

The idea behind the exhibition involves the collaborative efforts of twenty accomplished and unique international artists to offer twenty original and diverse works of art in response to the devastating disease with a distinct focus on the subject of survivorship.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

So nadastrom, they are sick, but they are stealth. I mean they only let you crawl, rather than walk. I would love to know how many edits, bootlegs and remixes they have. Recently on stayingsick we posted a preview of the Bart B more-make some noise(nadastrom edit) which laidback luke has been hammering. They have had segments on radio 1 for the past two weeks where they have dropped some cheeky edits. Below is their official mix of Hey. Did not see it coming, when you listen you will know what I mean. It is fitting a genre that is growing among household djs.

Duck sauce is a translucent sweet and sour orange condiment used in some Chinese-American restaurants. But not if A-trak and Armand Van helden can help it. These two have come together to create this absolute weapon. They made a 4 track EP but decided to release two tracks early because of the outcry for the tracks. So many world class djs have been supporting this. Busy P loves it. Parklife 2009, this is where you will hear this track, expect it from Busy P, atrak, and possibly erol. I think its the next kilometer, for me anyway.

Monday, July 13, 2009

CBEAT aka Conor Bevan is a DJ from south east London. Having stumbled across his stuff a couple of months ago I have been sitting on this mix for a while now. The style of music is quite relaxed and could be compared to a compilation like MOS Chillout Sessions. This set I've included is a cruisey mix of disco house tunes. Let's lounge.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

This week s around the world features the pioneering, unique and boundary breaking space of Fabric. With a capacity of over a 1000 it is easy to lose yourself inside its walls. Fabric s pioneering take on music is what separates it from the rest. Never once sacrificing even the smallest shred of music integrity, their lineups are a perfect alchemy with just about every genre represented. The real boundary breaker here is if a new sound rises then Fabric will stick their neck out to provide the platform.

The club was founded by Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie and opened on 29 October 1999. Fabric occupies the renovated space of the Metropolitan Cold Stores. Smithfield Meat Market stands and operates from a site directly opposite and is the last of London’s great markets. Fabric has three separate rooms (two of which feature stages for live acts) with independent sound systems. A feature of the club is its vibrating floor in Room One: known as a "bodysonic" dancefloor, sections of the floors are attached to 400 bass transducers emitting bass frequencies of the music being played.

Following the clubs success with music, they decided that with such a niche following Fabric could expand in clever marketing via the Fabriclive cd range. A CD series was launched in 2001. Rotating monthly between fabric and FABRICLIVE. DJs, the series showcases established and emerging names. It is entirely independent and operated solely by fabric.

With a wide scope of sound, Richie Hawtin may provide an epic techno vortex while Digitalism live act provides a wild crowd surfing experience. There s no ethos, spreadsheets, no corporate rot with very little branding. "You'd think that after all these years the people running it would take the night off but they're all there every week, in the thick of it till 8am" confirms Claude Von stroke.The sound is something else. For a city which has the most buzzing club culture by far in the world, it’s a shame that there’s not more quality through out the city. Many without the Funktion 1 sound try and build it like it. But we all know in the end that the real thing is what you need. As Sanjeev Bhardwaj, technical manager at Fabric explains, it’s not just about the hardware. ‘You can have the best equipment but if you’ve not got an engineer it’s not going to deliver. That’s why we always have two engineers at Fabric. We walk around EQing the system with hand-held computers all night. We change it because every record is pressed differently – we’re trying to get an average of the whole sound, but the sonic profile will be different for each style of music.’

The club even provide s it patrons with earplugs, available on request. On April 6, new ‘Control of Noise at Work’ regulations come into effect, making it compulsory for employers to provide suitable hearing protection to employees working in environments where the sound is consistently above acceptably safe levels (more than 85 decibels), which effectively means all clubs and DJ bars in London.

It’s the length of time that clubbers are exposed to loud music (particularly excessive high-end frequencies, aka the treble on your home stereo) that puts their hearing at risk, even though rock gigs may be louder than most clubs.

So if your in London on the weekend, visit the Fabric institution. With world class djs pushing the boundaries, while having full time sound engineers working on the system all night, this club is a sure thing when it comes to sound.

77a Charterhouse Street, Smithfield, London

Visit fabriclondon.com for all events. And buy tickets online to be safe as houses.

As the northern hemisphere hits the peak of the summer season so does the party scene north of the equator. With this comes a timely and large influx of new music being put out there by musicians, producers and remixes.

Over the past few weeks I've received a stupid amount of music. After sorting the good from the bad I've decided to give 13 of the most played tracks that I've recently discovered. Here's some fresh, new music.

Monday, July 6, 2009

So the last couple of weeks we've had some pretty heavy mixes. Especially with Djedjotronic last week so this week I thought I'd take it back a step and give you a very pleasurable set from one of my favourite artists. These two guys (ones a dad!) are from Germany and are true musicians, as anyone who's seen their live set will tell you. I've been lucky enough to catch them a few times actually. A couple here in Australia and also over in Europe at ‘I Love Techno’. I was even fortunate enough to meet them.This set is a podcast they did a couple months ago for Resident Advisor. It's full of the minimal electro house style of music they make and play. This is a great compilation of songs. You can tell that they take time and effort to put this stuff together and have no interest in playing the latest, 'biggest' tunes of the moment.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Welcome to the first "Around the world" post. These posts will be sharing images and the information needed for going out in some of the worlds biggest night clubs. Being from Australia, we have no idea of capacity of international clubbing, unless your well travelled. From sound to VIP areas, what ever idea you think of, times it by 50 and that would be reality.

I also invite any one who has visited the club to comment on their experience s. Kicking off the first post is a Club or an institution in Berlin, Germany. The two part former power station and gay fetist club, has two levels, Berghain and Panorama Bar on the top level.

Above is the former power station. Looks like it is pre-war.

This makes a bit more sense.

With a capacity of 1500, this club is shaping the future of the techno sound like nothing else on earth. Joris Voorn describes it as "the true definition of a techno club that is all about the music". Berghain hands its djs the time, space, and freedom. A short set here is a minimum of three hours. As the rest of Europe is sitting for brunch Laurent Garnier may be starting you on the tech-trail ride.

Forget about VIP areas, mirrors in toilets and cameras as the club is stripped back. Photography is outlawed. So if your wondering what type of sound system does a club with a massive music following have? Yes Berghain's has a Funktion One / Dolby 6.1 surround sound system. And with its high ceilings the Funktion one system can run top end beats.

In terms of when to go, visit the Berghain website for updates on set times. However monthly residencies include Switch, Jesse Rose, Sneak. If you are into your techno this is the place to be with thousands making the pilgrimage every year. Paul Woodford explains " its a massive inspiration for anybody serious about house and techno culture". With this in mind, if your interested in club management, the management at Berghain are the real deal, run by incredibly dedicated people who love music and understand how a club works.

Hope you have abit more information and ideas into what was voted the best club in the world 2009 by globetrotting djs.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Zombie Nation is actually just one man from the nation Germany, Florian Senfter. He resides in Munich and is currently jumping all over Europe playing sets pretty much everywhere. Here's the exciting part... His coming to the land of OZ. The sauerkraut lover is coming to Australia for the first time in November and doing a pretty solid tour of the whole country starting off in sunny Sydney on Nov 28.

His most recent studio album Zombielicious is his fourth release and was completely written and produced solely by Senfter. 'Forza' was the big single released on the tail end of last year which received a lot of deserved credit and is still being played regularly by world class DJs. The second single 'Worth It' is starting to receive the same sort of credit (and so it should). Zombie Nation's techno/electro style is quite common in a lot of production today, the difference is he does it WELL. Here are a few of my favourites from the album including 'Worth It' and a few remixes too.

Lastly, to show you that this guy can also DJ (often a skill producers lack) I've found some of his work behind the decks. First is his Mini Mix which was live on Annie Mac's Mash Up a couple of weeks ago. Can't find a track list for this one but it's a very fun uplifting complilations of real disco (i.e. old) style tunes.

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This is a blog about stuff we like; Music, Fashion and Art. All the music posted here is for promotional purposes only. Support these creative beings so they can keep doing what they do best. If for any reason you would like us to remove something shoot us an email at stayingsick@gmail.com and it will be taken down pronto. Apart from that enjoy and stay sick